Egypt bans Muslim Brotherhood books at mosque libraries

Egyptian authorities say they are planning to remove Muslim Brotherhood books from mosque libraries across the country.

“Any book authored by a Salafist or a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or Gamaa Islamiya will be removed,” Ministry of Religious Endowments Undersecretary Gaber Tayee said on Tuesday.

Tayee accused the Muslim group of inciting terrorism.

Books written by former Brotherhood leaders and members are still held in mosque libraries.

Muslim Brotherhood was outlawed as a terrorist organization in late 2013 following the ouster of the country's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, who was backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, in July of the same year.

Egypt's ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, wearing a red uniform, stands behind the bars during his trial in Cairo on June 21, 2015.

Since Morsi's overthrow by former military chief and current president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egyptian authorities have launched a harsh crackdown on Morsi’s supporters.

The crackdown has led to the killings of hundreds of brotherhood supporters. Many of the group’s members and supporters have been sentenced to death or jail terms. Morsi himself has also been sentenced to death.

According to the rights groups, over 40,000 people, including hundreds of lawyers, have been arrested, indicted or sentenced between July 2013 and May 2014 by the Egyptian judiciary.